Accenture Joins McKinsey in the Battle Cry for Corporate CSR

A recent United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)/Accenture study of 766 corporate CEOs has found that 93% of executives surveyed believe that sustainability will be a key factor in the future of their businesses. So, I suppose CSR is the new Tiger Woods for the global management consulting behemoth?

The UNGC_Accenture_CEO_Study_2010 follows a March study conducted by McKinsey and Company that returned similar bullish sentiment on the role of sustainability in shaping long-term strategy. While McKinsey’s study (McKinsey Quartely 3.10) only reported about half of its sample size to be CSR believers, it provides greater detail on CSR’s role in such areas as new product innovation, reputation management and overall business strategy.

So, I suppose the drum has been beaten by the blue chip PowerPoint wizards for an expansion in CSR consulting billings. More importantly and with less sarcasm, can these big firms deliver operational (e.g. revenue or margin expansion) CSR impact?

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About the Author

Lane Jost A lifelong conservationist, angler, gardener and writer, Lane is a Corporate Responsibility strategy consultant based in Chicago, where he currently works a CR consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Prior to joining PwC, Lane was a global sustainability performance and stakeholder engagement specialist for Sodexo North America. He has experience in microfinance program evaluation at Grameen Foundation. A former President of the Net Impact Chapter at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Lane has a master's in International Development Economics from the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UCSD (IR/PS) and a bachelor's in history and international studies from Kenyon College. Prior to working in the sustainable business sphere, Lane spent six years as a communications and marketing professional focusing on arts and culture in New York City, where his work included the creation of the jazz website gothamjazz.com and serving as the publicist for the New York Philharmonic.